The Rainbow Room
Primary schools in the Duncanrig cluster in South Lanarkshire have created a haven of support for vulnerable children known as the Rainbow Room using funding from Better Behaviour, Better Learning.
Called the Rainbow Room because of the bright colours of the décor, it is set up to cater for individual children or for work with small groups of children. Resources and play activities are unique to the room.
Through additional personal and social development activities, a positive experience is provided where children get extra support to work towards change.
Support activities include:
- Raising self esteem.
- Anger management.
- Coping strategies.
- Building and maintaining relationships.
- Co-operation.
- Managing emotions.
- Providing a 'safe place' for children finding the playground stressful.
Two rooms have been set up within the Duncanrig cluster, in Canberra Primary School and in South Park Primary School, and a teacher has been released to work in these.
The Rainbow Room complements the positive discipline strategies implemented in South Lanarkshire schools and comes as a result of well established joint working across the cluster. Children are referred to the cluster joint assessment team where the headteachers of the cluster, an educational psychologist and a representative from Integrated Children's Services discuss provision for children and prioritise the need for support. The support teacher then observes the child in the classroom and a timetable of support in the Rainbow Room is drawn up.
The support teacher in the Rainbow Room has worked with fifty-five pupils in the last two terms and for most pupils this support and the further development of personal skills has made a huge positive difference to how they feel about themselves and to their behaviour.
The headteachers of schools in the cluster believe that having this facility and having the immediacy of help and support for children who are vulnerable, has been invaluable to children, parents and staff. It has enabled children to be listened to and supported at an early stage in their difficulties. Parents feel their children are receiving help quickly and positively and staff can see a more immediate resolution of the difficulties children are having in class.
